


What You Do Before You Leave

by QueSeraAwesome



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 19:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1522616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueSeraAwesome/pseuds/QueSeraAwesome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>North's last moments with Theta</p>
            </blockquote>





	What You Do Before You Leave

The Meta catches him alone.

**_I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry_ **

Theta is crying, Theta is a shrill buzz or calculations and distress in the back of his head, thrumming with terror and his effort to keep the shield up for just a bit longer. Just a bit longer, maybe until someone answers North’s recovery beacon, until South comes back, until a miracle happens.

The flat of his palm pressed against the gunshot wound in his side isn’t helping at all, not that it would. The Meta circles the shield Theta had managed to cobble together out of equipment they’d found, growling. North pants and focuses on staying conscious, blink blood out of his eyes.

 _What happens if they get you Theta?_ North asks, ripping a hypo of anesthesia from his pack and jabbing it into his leg. It won’t do much either.

**_North if they get me, I won’t want to come back. I won’t want to save you I don’t want to go. If they get me I won’t be yours won’t be your Theta anymore, I’ll be Them. I’ll be Us._ **

He can hear the other AI calling to Theta. They’re calling him Brother. They’re telling him they missed him.

“Go Away!” Theta screams out of North’s speakers. “I don’t want to go with you! Go away!”

The Meta circles for another assault. Part of North regrets letting South take a turn with the bubbleshield this morning. She’d been so enthusiastic about getting it to work herself. At least this way, it won’t get her too. At least, probably not.

 _Hey, Theta,_ North says. _I need you to delete some information._

_**North, I can’t keep the shield up I can’t I can’t for much longer—** _

_Theta, focus. I need you to delete your memory of this morning, when I gave South the shield._

_**Why I can’t** _

_I need you to delete that information, Theta, he can’t know she has it. It’s her only shot—_

_**Let me focus! North, let me—** _

_Override, Theta. Comply._

**_Deleting…._ **

Maine fires round after round from his brute shot into the shield and it shudders alarmingly, but holds. Then it starts reloading.

_Where’s the bubble shield, Theta?_

**_I—I don’t know. We should have it, North! North I can’t—_ **

The jury rigged shield flickers worse, almost falls. Maine crashes against it again, three multi-colored orbs swirling around his helmet dizzyingly. North leans against the cliff face for one moment. He glances down at the amount of red spread across his armor. The pain’s distant at this point, removed, and he’s mostly thankful for that.

_**I’m sorry, I’m sorry, North, It’s my fault I’m sorry if I were better—** _

_Hey. Hey, kiddo, it’s okay. It’s allright._

**_No, it’s not!_** Theta screams in his head. **_No it’s not, North, they’re going to take me, North you’re going to die!_ **

_Probably,_ North thinks, as the shield finally falls. Maine—The Meta surges forward and he’s it’s fast, he never used to be that fast before— _but it’s okay, Theta. It’s going to be all right._

The brute shot hits him across the jaw and he feels a fresh surge of blood in his mouth. Theta’s screaming, and he can hear the other AI, he can hear Eta, Iota, Sigma and they’re jubilant, they’re ecstatic with the taste of victory in their grasp.

_It’s okay, Theta. Because you’re going to be._

**Author's Note:**

> My working theory, is that I wrote this because I'm a huge jerk who hates happiness.  
> I have a tumblr, if you'd like to come cry about Theta and North with me?  
> Queseraawesome.tumblr.com


End file.
